Sarah Rees

Every inch of this garden seems to have some (unwanted) hidden bounty. Sadly no gold coins or treasure chests – but I’ve just found this key??! #gardenrestorationblog

LIFE!! Hurrah! I’ve finally found life in this forlorn place! Two sleepy Noctuid moth caterpillars. I asked on Twitter and @bugmanjones got back to me.... He suggested that 'as these are large and plump they may be one of the yellow underwing species'. I’ve re-located then to a patch that I have already cleared of broken glass and debris, but where they’ll still have some vegetation cover. #gardenrestorationblog

Ummm. Yes. That IS an exotic spear that I’ve just found in the earth… #gardenrestorationblog

I started to prune back the rhododendron bush today and several large pieces of yellow plastic fell out of the tree, along with part of a car bumper. I dived out of the way! #gardenrestorationblog

This is just the beginning…. and I’m wondering if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. In these few boxes there are pieces of metal, plastic, carpet, rubber, nails… and SO much broken glass. I’m wearing thick gloves but every time I move the soil, another shard appears…. #gardenrestorationblog

So… here’s one of several large oil drums that were used to burn things in the garden! This one is too heavy to move as it’s got concrete in the bottom so I’m going to have to work around it for now. I’ve still not seen much in the way of wildlife – hardly surprising I suppose… #gardenrestorationblog

Here’s another view along the little garden. I can see lots of potential. There’s a buddleia bush in the foreground and there’s quite a bit of lawn that hasn’t been burnt. I’m not sure what plants have survived in the border areas yet. I’m still focusing on removing debris. Every time I remove something, it reveals more rubbish. You won’t believe what a mess the previous tenants made of this little garden… #gardenrestorationblog

Here’s a closer-look at the state of the lawn area. It’s been used to burn all kinds of things and there are remnants of clothing, plastic buttons and wool. Worryingly it looks like chemicals have been poured over the area too so I’m going to have to dig back the top soil and replace it, before any new grass seeds will be able to grow here. #gardenrestorationblog

So…. Here it is! This sorry patch of ground is going to be the site of my garden restoration project! I’m hoping to turn it into a garden that will be a haven for wildlife and full of beautiful scented flowers. Of course, right now that dream is a loooong way off… #gardenrestorationblog